As the director of the Abbey Theatre, Sen Fiach Mac Conghail knows the importance of getting bums on seats.
Here he is during Wednesday’s Order of Business, with a big innocent face on him, between thoughts of rushing through Bills and his involvement with the National Citizens’ Assembly:
"The next item is not a plug, but Brian Friel's Translationsis opening at our national theatre tonight and running to the middle of August."
Darragh O’Brien: “It sounds like a plug.”
Sen Mac Conghail: “There are low-price seats for the matinees . . .”
Derek Keating, the new Fine Gael deputy for Dublin Mid-West, likes the theatre as much as the next man. However, life can’t be all costumes and curtain calls. He was appalled by the information he received after he tabled a question to the Minister for Justice seeking a breakdown of expenses available to judges. Alan Shatter duly replied with a list of the various allowances.
Among the many allowances, Deputy Keating was particularly put out to see that judges get a one-off €2,195 grant to buy a wig, while €745 is available every two years to buy a frock coat – or €575 for one without tails.
“We need the Minister to direct the Chief Justice to cut these overheads with the purpose of not only saving money but also becoming a republic in the true sense of the Constitution,” he fumes.
“Simply put, we cannot afford the panto lifestyle of our senior judges.”
Oh yes we can.
Oh no we can’t.
A panto lifestyle?
The mind boggles.
